Highlife artists and groups

If the words in the originator of 'Burger Highlife', George Darko's (Nana Ampem Darko) track - "Let the children play", is anything to go by, then it will be Black Stars manager, Milovan Ragevac's guide to finish the long journey to Angola and South Africa on a bright note.

To celebrate the release of Ghana Special Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds & Ghanaian this week Soundway are offering up a free download widget, which includes the track Aaya Lolo by The Barbecues, and a pdf of the first five pages featuring an intoduction from compiler Miles Cleret and some amazing artwork and photos from the time.

One of the country's contemporary and prolific singer, who is very charming and smooth when it comes to highlife songs, Kwabena Kwabena, would have been out of the music industry if he had not come out of a bad marriage, which he experienced whiles he was engaged.

Original Ghanaian highlife music has these recent years seen a decline in patronage with fewer albums being released and a crippling of this ground-breaking music genre.

O'jez celebrates Fatai Rolling Dollar at 83 foremost entertainment centre and celebrity hangout, O'jez is celebrating veteran octogenarian highlife musician, Fatai Rolling Dollar who will be 83 years old next week, at its last Sunday of the month O'jez Entertainment Forum.

The AFRICADELAY-Party, taking place at the Schwedlersee on July 18th promises to be a cultural Highlight and a sensation for all lovers of Afro beat, Highlife and Afro jazz. Ebo Taylor, the legendary composer, arranger and musician from Ghana will take the stage for the first time in Europe, together with Artists of the internationally assigned Afro beat Academy.

'Highlife' music maestro, Prince Kunke Poniie a.k.a., Opio, says he is out to shake the industry with sounds that will stir music lovers. With his recent sign-up with Wake Entertainment, he seems ready to live to his mission. He speaks with our REPORTER Ovwe Medeme on his career and plans in the industry. Excerpts:

I must confess I am not an authority in music, but there is at least some agreement on what constitutes a good music. In view of the kind of music that is produced today, one cannot but have nostalgic feelings of the music of yester years. It appears that there is no music produced in the 60s and 70s that is not interesting and sweet to the ears. These cover Juju, Apala, Highlife, Waka, Sakara, Apiri (in Ijesa and Ekiti). The roll call of Juju stars of those days includes Late Araba, Fatai Rolling Dollars, I.K Dairo, Oladunni Decency, Tunde Nightingale and Kayode Fashola. The next generation of Juju stars include Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Remi Olabanji, Dele Abiodun a.k.a Adawa Super, Emperor Pick Peters, Ahuja Bello, Sir Idowu Animashaun-Apola King, Sir Shina Peters, Professor Y.K Ajao, Suberu Oni, Comfort Omoge, Sir Francis Akintade, Col Juba, Sunny Pedido, Segun Adewale, Micho Ade, etc. The first generation of Apala musicians were Haruna Ishola, Ayinla Omowura a.ka Egunmogaji, Fatai Olowoyo, Yusuf Olatunji a.k.a Baba Legba, Odolaye Aremu, Mukaili Mugaiba. Waka include Batile Alake and Salawa Abeni. Fuji stars of those days are Ayinde Barrister, Ayinla Kollington, Iyanda Sawaba. The next generation of Fuji musicians are Wasiu Ayinde a.k.a Kwam 1, Abass Akande a.ka. Orobokibo omorapala, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Sule Alao Malaika, Osupa Saheed a.ka. Saridon, etc.

Dear Angelina, I started this letter to you (imaginary letter, of course, because you would be too busy attending your numerous family and your highlife obligations to answer my letter) to ask you one thing: where are thou, Angie? I miss your old crazy days, your days of leather and all black, when fashion was the least [...] Angelina?s New Hair And Akris White Suit For Benjamin Button Berlin Premiere

While most regional record fairs have been replaced with gigantic mega-shows, the WFMU Record Fair in New York City still offers the collector a chance to find unknown minimal-synth seven-inches from Germany, random rap 12-inches from the Bronx's Golden Age, and Japanese Kabuki-psychedelia. Listen to five obscure West African funk, highlife, Juju and psychedelia tracks from the 1970s.

When KEXP broadcast from Chicago this past summer, the station was turned on to a local gem. The Occidental Brothers Dance Band International brings rock- and jazz-trained American musicians together with Ghanian musicians in a cross-cultural throwdown. Hear the session.

A lonely Brody Jenner announces Bromance, his upcoming reality show through which he?s hoping to fill the empty spot ex-best-bro Spencer Pratt left in his heart. Brody?s invited 9 guys from across the U.S. to compete for the prize of living the celebrity highlife in a luxurious Hollywood mansion with him. Each of the 6 episodes [...]